Inamabilis
by Iskjif
Summary: AU:Post HBP:Possible future HPLV:Harry has a choice. Is he to watch as his ultimate tormentor who has been the focus of his hate, of his obsession, of his life, fades? Can he be satisfied with a victory that tastes of ashes and feels utterly empty?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Inamabilis  
**Author:** Iskjif  
**Beta:** Masked Deception  
**Pairings:** If you squint…  
**Warnings:** In this chapter, just a little gory stuff… Later on the might be a bit more gore, possibly some slashy bits…  
**Summary: **Post HBP:Possible future HPLV:Harry has a choice. Is he to watch as his ultimate tormentor who has been the focus of his hate, of his obsession, of his life, fades? Can he be satisfied with a victory that tastes of ashes and feels utterly empty?

**A/N: **_**sighs**_ I know, I know… The last thing I need to be doing is posting another story, but this wouldn't leave me alone. Light-siders beware there's gonna be some dark-sided fangirl angst…

Please bear with this version. I've made some changes since my beta last looked at this sucker forever and a half ago. I originally wanted this to be a one-shot, but it's been taking its sweet time in coming to me and I've run up against my self-imposed deadline of the last book.

But yes! Enough of that! Story!

OoToO

Pathetic.

Harry had been trying to find words to describe the sight of Him. That emaciated, snake-like figure, brought so low, prone and humiliated. He had been alternately stealing glances and looking away for nearly an hour and he had finally come up with that single word.

The young man had at first told himself that he should be thinking something along he lines of 'triumph' or 'beauty' or 'justice'…Or maybe even 'this is the best day of my life'

But no, it was nothing but pathetic.

He glanced at his nemesis with a sad and puzzled frown, but quickly looked away, feeling almost embarrassed. It seemed wrong to just sit and watch as the man was slowly drained of his life force.

The Ministry just didn't understand.

They had discovered a new execution method, powerful enough to take down a Dark Lord the likes of which the world had never seen.

It had been almost a simple thing, to catch the Dark Lord unawares. A young Auror, just barely out of Hogwarts, had been given the device and given orders to throw it at the Dark Lord's back.

It had been a risky move and had Harry known about it, he would have insisted that he do it himself. It was true that his enemy never bothered with such children, that he trusted his personal protections to take care of any threat that one such boy could pose, but suppose the Dark Lord had caught wind of the plan…

Harry shuddered to think of it…

But it had worked, and perfectly.

There had been such a wash of magical energy on the battlefield, that even with his super-human senses, the Dark Lord had suspected nothing until he had felt the _thing_ twining coldly around his waist and ripping into his back to wrap around his spine.

It made Harry feel strangely despondent and frustrated all at once.

What could have possibly made the Minister think that the young Auror would want to watch Him die in such a way… What kind of people filled the Ministry, that they felt satisfied with this end…?

Suddenly, his enemy let out a loud shuddery breath, almost like a sigh. The noise made Harry jerk in surprise. He turned back the man without truly wanting to.

His painfully thin frame was drawn in on itself, cringing, almost fetal. Up until this point He had suffered in disturbing silence and Harry had assumed the man unconscious. But now His eyes were open and focused on Harry with a shocking intensity.

"…Harry…" the snake-like man rasped, a slight rattle in His breathing.

The young man found himself gazing steadily at the Dark Lord for the first time.

The man met that gaze, His bloody eyes strangely expressive of pain.

"Harry…" the man rasped again, sounding almost a bit stronger.

The reputed 'savior of the wizarding world' held in a strange trembling that threatened to overtake him. Hearing his given name from the Dark Lord's lips was almost… intimate. But then they _had_ tried to kill each other on several occasions, and what was more intimate than that?

The look on the once powerful man's face was too pitiful for Harry not to answer Him again.

"What is it…" the young man sighed gustily, "…Voldemort?"

"It can't end this way."

Harry was surprised at the desperation in the man's voice, despite his obvious weakness.

The young Auror closed his eyes and sighed again.

"I know…" He couldn't keep a strange despair from filling his voice and pain flashed in Harry's chest.

He hated this. He should have been overjoyed for the Dark Lord to die; he should have laughed in the _creature's_ face as he lost his grip on life.

But no.

This felt wrong.

He couldn't let a man who had caused so much suffering and evil, left such a stain on the world, die weak and fading.

All the Ministry cared about was being rid of the Dark Lord; they didn't care to see that he ended in the way that he had earned, that respected all that He could have been, his power, and his reign of terror.

But Harry almost felt obligated. He knew that if their situations had been reversed, his nemesis would have made Harry's death long and painful, true, but the young man would have died with at least some semblance of dignity.

Harry paused in his thoughts as the snake-like man took a sharp, hissing intake of breath.

"…not like this." The man gave a pleading look.

The young Auror looked straight back into the Dark Lord's eyes and made his decision

He had been willing to die to make sure that this man met that same empty fate. He now knew that he was also prepared to die to make sure that the Dark Lord died _properly_ and fully got what he deserved.

Harry walked over to the man and crouched where he was chained so he could look directly in his eyes.

"Voldemort… I won't let it happen this way."

He took his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at the Dark Lord, who looked rather resigned.

"_Expedio_."

The man gave a small cry as the draining device began to disentangle itself from him, too close to death to have any of his normal reserve.

Harry winced as the thing pulled out of the man's back with a wet sound.

The Dark Lord sagged in his shackles, passing out.

Harry could sense that the man was still alive as he undid the shackles, and the young Auror was careful not to let the snake-like man fall to the ground. He knew that even such a little fall could kill him in this state.

The young man lifted his enemy and was careful not to jostle him.

Now all he needed was the Dark Lord's wand-

He shook his head. Really there was no time for that. What he needed to do was get out of there.

He would worry about the Dark Lord's wand later…

OoToO

**A/N:** So how was that my lovelies? Worth your time? Waste of time? It was short, I know, but I have a few chapters (short ones too sadly) waiting for beta-ing, so tell me if it's worth updating!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Inamabilis  
**Author:** Iskjif  
**Beta:** Masked Deception (kind of… I haven't had her input of this one much though…)  
**Pairings:** If you squint…  
**Warnings:** Not anything I can think of for this chappie  
**Summary: **Post HBP:Possible future HPLV:Harry has a choice. Is he to watch as his ultimate tormentor, who has been the focus of his hate, of his obsession, of his life, fades? Can he be satisfied with a victory that tastes of ashes and feels utterly empty?

**A/N: **So here's the next chappie of Inamabilis my darlings! I'm so sorry for the wait; my beta has been extremely delinquent lately. I still haven't heard back from her on this one, but I just felt the need to post something! Mostly this is a transitional chappie, but I hope you enjoy it anyways!

If you're feeling a bit rusty on this story, I recommend that ya reread the first chappie. It's not very long and you'll probably like this chappie a little better.

OoToO

_He_ was still unconscious by the time the young Auror had made it safely outside.

It had been quite an ordeal to get past all the guards. Slinking through the many corridors, using no magic to conceal himself, knowing that it would only draw attention to his escape and having to take great care with his burden all at the same time. The only reason it had been possible to escape unseen had been because Harry had set the watches himself.

When the Dark Lord had fallen on that battlefield, it had been no easy task to take him and keep him.

Though many in the Light had always believed the members of the Dark to be disorganized and wholly disloyal, the followers of the Dark Lord had proved themselves to be exactly the opposite over the last couple months.

Harry paused in his thoughts to listen for anyone who might have noticed him despite his caution. He heard no one, so he started into the woods that surrounded the base.

After a few minutes, he felt safe enough to continue his thoughts.

After that battle, after that _device_ had been used against the Dark Lord, it had seemed as if the Darkness itself had risen up in ferocious opposition of the Light. The Dark Lord's followers had been relentless in their bids to rescue their fallen Lord. Magical creatures that the Ministry had written off as harmless had begun viciously attacking important Ministry bases in an effort to find the man.

It had been utter chaos for the Light.

But the worst had been the Dark Lord's Inner Circle. They had been the most strategic. Time and again they had found the place where the Dark Lord was being held. Each time, the man had just barely been moved in time.

Harry had not been informed of the situation until the Ministry was frantic with its inability to handle the situation.

He had immediately set to work finding and spelling a place to hold the Dark Lord. He had a knack of sorts for constructing wards and making a place impossible to find. The young Auror had been too focused on making the place secure to truly think about the situation. And Harry had been quite content to continue to not think about it up until Minister Scrimgeour had insisted that he would be coming to view the 'prisoner' during his last hours. By then the man had been locked in a cell in Harry's new base for a time and the complicated guard schedules he had devised had long since become like second nature to the Auror-trained guards selected for the task.

It had only just dawned on him how disturbed he was over all of this.

Before they had come begging for his help, the young Auror had heard nothing of this course of action that the Ministry had decided on and he had heard nothing of the Dark Lord's capture.

All his sources had known was that the Dark had been in frenzy.

The public knew even less than that.

Harry wondered if the Minister had planned to tell him anything. If his warding skills hadn't been so desperately needed would they have kept him in the dark?

Would he have found out when the Dark Lord died, by some magical connection he shared with the man? Or would he have just been left to wonder, the last Horcrux long destroyed and his nemesis nowhere to be found?

He shook his head in disgust and had to be mindful not to bump the depleted man he was carrying.

The young man felt a thrill of something terrible as he turned his attention to his burden. The Dark Lord must have truly been at the edge of death when he had freed the man, not to regain consciousness after all that Harry had had to do to steal the man away.

The so-called 'Savior' mentally shook himself. He couldn't quite figure out his emotions. Why was he so bothered by his enemy's current state? It was irritating. Something to dwell on. But before he could follow that train of thought very far, he felt himself pass out of the magical detection wards.

Despite the high probability of discovery, Harry had to take a few moments to enjoy the quiet surrounding him. He truly loved this forest and was somewhat loath to leave it. There was a wonderful warmth to the shade of the old trees. He stood amongst the bushes and undergrowth for a few more minutes of stolen peace.

Harry let out a low sigh. Now that he was feeling more clear headed, he could get the Dark Lord to a more secure location.

But just as he was about to apparate, he realized his mistake. So much for being clear headed! The young Auror had to be truly out of sorts to forget such a fundamental rule. You couldn't apparate with an unconscious person. If you tried it, their magic would automatically fight against it, resisting the movement without mental consent. It could cause serious damage to even a relatively healthy individual.

That sort of thing would easily be enough to kill the man in Harry's arms.

The young Auror's only choice was a portkey. He couldn't stifle a slight shudder at the thought.

Bad memories.

There were other disadvantages to that method; his distaste for the mode of transportation was a minor concern in comparison. Even outside the magical detection wards, the creation of a portkey would alert every wizard or witch of any skill within the immediate area that something wasn't right. There was certainly quite a few of those nearby.

Harry gave a mental shrug. He was screwed now anyways, and if he set the portkey for his cottage, no one would be able to track him. He didn't have many other options. The dark-haired young man needed to get somewhere safe, fast.

So he had made his decision.

He quickly glanced around and a hand-sized rock caught his eye.

It took him a few minutes, but he was able to carefully shift the man he was carrying so that he could reach for his wand. He tried not to let himself become alarmed at the fact that his burden didn't even grunt at what Harry imagined was a rather uncomfortable process.

The young Auror merely pulled the piece of familiar holly out of his back pants pocket and leveled it at the rock.

"_Portus_."

OoToO

**A/N:** blearg… I really wish that this had been betaed. I'm really unhappy with it. But anyways though! I hope this was worth your time lovelies! Please review and tell me what you thought. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Did you spot any glaring grammatical or spelling errors? Have you entirely lost all love and respect for my writing? Honesty darlings!

Sorry it was so short!

Thank you guys for all your loverly reviews! Loves to jenae and Aki Wildqueen, my awesome anonymous reviewers! You guys always make my life better!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Inamabilis  
**Author:** Iskjif  
**Beta:** nobodies... _**sniffles**_  
**Pairings:** If you squint…  
**Warnings:** A little innuendo on Voldie's part.  
**Summary:**Post HBP:Possible future HPLV:Harry has a choice. Is he to watch as his ultimate tormentor who has been the focus of his hate, of his obsession, of his life, fades? Can he be satisfied with a victory that tastes of ashes and feels utterly empty?

**A/N:**Allo my dears! Sorry for the slight hiatus, it was totally unexpected on my part. You know how real life is... bleh anyways! I hope you guys enjoy this new chappie!

**RECAP for the confuzled**: Vols was on the bring of a rather pathetic death and Harry, unable to just watch it happen, snatches the Dark Lord from Ministry clutches to make sure he meets a proper end.

And on with the show!

OoToO

Harry grimaced as he landed just outside his cliff-side cottage, doing his best to steady the diminished Dark Lord. He still despised the sensation of a portkey. Despite years Auror training, he had never been able to rid himself of the all the negative associations.

As he shifted to stand, attempting to keep his burden steady, Harry glared hatefully as his nemesis. This man had taken so much from him. His parents and with them any chance for a happy childhood… Dumbledore and so many of his friends… Hermione had never regained her sense after they had lost Ron…

The Dark Lord had stolen his innocence and sometimes he even worried that he had snuffed out his goodness as well.

The young Auror stood quickly, leaving Him on the ground, lying there, much like a broken doll.

He turned away, toward the chill of the ocean wind. The young man was overwhelmed with such bitterness that he felt raw. Harry gazed at the scenery, squeezing his arms tight around himself and trying to forget his distress. He had found this place during his search for one of the Horcruxes. The isolation and desolation of the place had appealed to him in a way he hadn't expected. Everything seemed glazed with a layer of grey, even the rocks of the cliffs and the waves that crashed against them, far below him.

Though his lead on the Horcrux had proved empty, he decided to spend some time making a refuge for himself on the cliffs. After building his cottage, small and just as bathed in grey as it surroundings, he had used his skills to make it untraceable, invisible to the world, with many charms to repel the curious. The young man had made it to be his one safe place. And now it was to be _His_ safe place.

Harry let that thought and all its horror and disgust and bitterness have its way with him for a few seconds and then he shut it out. Let it drain away until he was calm and blank again.

This course was not what he would have chosen, but he would see it through.

He turned back to the man that he had left lying on the ground and lifted Him with a sigh. As he started for the cottage his burden let out a small sound of pain.

To Harry's surprise, he felt a bit of relief sweep through him as he realized that the man was regaining consciousness.

He hurried his pace and was soon walking through the door and heading for the bed. It was a small place so he was able to lay down his burden rather quickly. The young Auror tried to carefully position the emaciated man on his stomach, without harming him too much, but it was rather difficult and the former Dark Lord hissed with pain as Harry set him down again.

Once the man seemed as settled as he was going to be, Harry walked over and brought a chair from his table so he could sit next to the bed. He sat backwards in it, his face pillowed in arms resting on the chair's back. For some reason the young man felt better being able to hide a bit of his expression as he watched his nemesis struggle towards lucidity.

With a soft gasp the man shifted a bit and pain hazed crimson met sharp, shaded jade.

The two deadly enemies regarded each other thoughtfully. Their charged silence saying for them more than petty words ever could have.

_I hate you._

_I know._

_I can't stand this, you. It tries my sanity._

_Why then? _

_Because…_

_Why bother?_

_I…_

_Why not just let me die?_

_Maybe I mourn for what you could have been._

Amusement._Truly?_

_Maybe…_

_I expected you to just kill me._

_I expected to be happy to watch you die miserably._

_I'm almost disappointed…_

_What?_

The wasted man chose to break the brimming silence with his painful rasp.

"Compassion no longer becomes you, Potter." He coughed softly, tensing, his eyes sliding closed in agony. The fit passed and his bloody gaze snapped back to the young man curled around the chair. "I think I much prefer you spattered with my followers' blood…"

The young Auror flinched almost imperceptibly at the cold words and the predatory look in the Dark Lord's eyes. Their deep crimson was suddenly hidden as lids slipped closed briefly, some kind of twisted lust flashing as the man apparently recalled some visual.

Feeling decidedly uncomfortable and deeply disturbed, the dark-haired young man looked away.

As his eyes wandered the small room he could feel the amused regard of that man. Inwardly he scolded himself, he was a trained Auror and a Gryffindor. This was hardly a mature response. But as pathetic as the Slytherin currently was, he was still the man that had tormented him for as long as his memory stretched.

And apparently he still knew exactly the right buttons to tease and gouge to elict childish responses from his favorite victim.

They went on in this way for quite a few minutes before the former Dark Lord became bored.

"Oh 'Savior of the Wizarding World', Oh 'Shining Beacon of the Light'," he began with mock reverence, "what do you have planned in that oh so brilliant mind of yours? What torments do you have in store for me?"

Said 'Savior' could not help but snort in response to the dramatic sarcasm, momentarily forgetting his discomfort. He could hardly claim to have any less disdain for the many ways that people chose to label him. So he responded flippantly.

"No need to worry about such things. In this state, you're hardly worth my attention, much less my torments." The young man mock-sighed and continued to refuse eye contact. "Now, when you're back to being a shadow of the wizard you once were, then I might consider spending the energy to make you suffer."

The Auror could feel the man's rage seething in the silence that followed and smirked victoriously.

They ignored each other for the rest of the evening.

OoToO

A/N: Please excuse the experimental nature of this chappie. It's unbetaed and I'm very unhappy about it XP I hope it was enjoyable anyways! Love it? Hate it? Review or PM me and let me know what you think!

Thank you to my loverly anonymous reviewers, Aki WildQueen and dark ass!

And also thank you to all of you that have added this to your alerts/favs/C2s! I'm not worthy of all of you guys!

Loves and huggles!


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